Dolly couldn’t take in what Olive was saying. She was filled with disbelief, confusion and shock.
“How? How are you sure? What if it’s not… what if it’s not this particular person. There could be a lookalike or something,” she argued but Olive shook her head.
“This is him. I’m certain. This smirk. It is way too familiar,” Olive stated and brought up the photo to her face. She was looking for something and hoped to find it. But it wasn’t in the picture. It was well covered by his sweatshirt.
“Do you happen to have another picture of him? Especially one with a different outfit?” she asked Dolly who nodded.
“My computer,” she answered and pointed to the bed where her laptop was lying close to her pillow. Both Dolly and Olive got up and walked to the bed. They sat down side by side at the edge of it and Dolly turned on the computer. She went into a secret folder and imputed a password before it opened up. It was filled with hers and Jonathan’s pictures and videos.
“I haven’t been able to come here ever since I sent them all here,” she mumbled sadly. Olive looked at her sullen face and sighed.
“Can I please use the computer?” she asked politely and Dolly nodded before handing over the computer to her. Olive looked over some pictures and finally found the one she was looking for which was a picture with his arms uncovered. She gulped painfully as she saw the tattoo right over the scar on his shoulder. She zoomed it and it was really the exact tattoo. A scar gotten from a silver knife and a tattoo of a knife over it.
“Does the person you know have that tattoo too?” Dolly asked.
“Yes. The knife over a knife scar,” Olive answered. Dolly’s mouth fell open.
“Are you serious? This… this exact tattoo?” she exclaimed with unbelief.
“Dolly, this… how did he get this tattoo and scar?”
“He… he was a stubborn man. Really strange person. He sliced his own shoulder with a silver knife. And after he managed to heal up, he went ahead and got a tattoo. He said it was to tell him that sometimes, the best way to stop violence was through violence. That man,” she shook her head and exhaled.
The way Dolly described him, Olive knew that he didn’t change in character at all. He was still the same. Stubborn, hot-headed and too daring. Were all Balendin Pack men always like that?”
“I never knew Jonas was from Balendin Pack,” Olive muttered.
“Jonas? Where did you even know him from? Where is he staying? What happened to him? All these years he’s been able to stay without getting in touch with me?” Dolly asked all at once. She was tearing up again.
“Jonas… he was initiated into The Vrek Cult five years ago. I don’t know how or where, but he was introduced to me one morning. He had been a part of us ever since then.”
Dolly’s eyes bulged again. Shock, anger, fear, worry and every other emotion of displeasure rushed through her mind and body.
What? Her Jonathan was initiated into The Vrek Cult? Why? Why would they do that when they had actually tried to murder him? Or, did he beg they spare his life and make him one of them instead?
“From what I heard, his death was supposed to happen. But someone ordered otherwise and said he should be brought instead. I have no idea who or why that order from them. What I know is, Jonas’ death was faked or averted and he is now a part of the cult,” Olive explained with a sad face. She expected Dolly to be very broken considering the way she hated the cult. But when she looked at her face, she saw relief. Dolly was… relieved?
“I’m so glad he’s alive,” she breathed out, two pearly tears rolling down her cheeks.
“He wasn’t murdered painfully like I thought,” she added and let all the tears fall freely.
“Olive, Jonathan is alive,” she cried and hugged her. Olive hugged her back. They stayed that way for a while with Dolly crying quietly.
All these years she had buried a deep sorrow in her heart, not letting anyone know she was hiding pain. She had wished upon wishes, that Jonathan came back to life. Even if he didn’t come back to her, she just wanted him to live. And now that she found out he had always been alive, she was glad.
They unlocked from their hug and Dolly wiped her tears.
“You know, Jonathan still has a chance to live well again. He just needs to find his mate, right?” she asked and Olive nodded.
“It could be very hard, considering he is a man and the men of the cult somehow have a spell that could repel their mates. But I’ve seen cases. He would be free if he desires it,” she answered and Dolly smiled.
“I hope he runs into her soon. He should be a free man,” she smiled into her tears and chuckled.
“Our food is getting colder by the minute,” Olive realized and they laughed. If only Wayne was around so he could make it warmer.
\*\*
Jake and the rest of the men looked at the water jar in awe. Well, it was once a water jar but not anymore. It was now an ice jar as the water filled to the brim earlier on was now frozen solid.
They all had tried everything they could, but they could not break the ice. Even Ami was called upon to use her magic but nothing worked. The top of the ice wouldn’t even melt a little.
“How did Wayne freeze this thing?” Jake rasped with his hands on his waist. He was sweating and so were the other men. They had gone on to try and break the ice manually with axes and other crude implement but only the clay jar shattered, leaving the ice standing firmly in its shape.
Wayne himself was sitting in a chair, leaning freely on it and watching them. He had tried and knew nothing would work.
Mufasa himself was thinking about the possible means to thaw the ice. He had called on Alpha Knight immediately he noticed that the jar of water by the doorway was freezing up after him and his mate left his dungeon. Only Alpha Knight could freeze elements a little so he was the primary suspect. But this very ice was way beyond Wayne’s ability of freezing. If Mufasa hadn’t sensed Alpha Knight’s energy within it, he would not have agreed he froze it. The discovery shocked everyone, including the Alpha himself.
“Is it me, or is it getting stronger?” Shem asked as he kicked it slightly with his legs.
“Crusoe, come feel this,” he beckoned to Crusoe who was just five feet away from him. Crusoe came over and tried to push it, but it was like it was rooted to the ground. Before, he could move it a little. Everyone stared at him in surprise, including Wayne.
“I was right. The more time passes, the harder it becomes to thaw it,” Mufasa spoke up and began to walk to it. They all cleared way as he peered at it.
“This thing, it isn’t just ice,” he said and Wayne raised a brow at it.
“Don’t tell me that it has a life of its own,” Wayne stated in a bored tone.
“That’s right. This cold that you emanate has a life of its own.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I liked Wayne when he hadn’t found his mate better. Like, how can we have a moving ice monster who would freeze something without even knowing. And worse, the damned ice can’t even melt!”
Everyone looked at Shem with daggers. Only he could run his mouth this much.
“I would forgive you for wishing me a life without Olive,” Wayne said darkly even though he appeared calm.
“Speak of the she-devil. Hey, Olive. Come melt this ice your mate of an Alpha created. But be careful, because if he freezes you too… we can’t unfreeze you and you would die!” Shem yelled over to Olive who had just entered the dungeon with Dolly.